We may earn a commission from links on this page.Last year, I was searching high and low for a good present to get my mom, who loves gadgets but for whom I have already purchased every Alexa-enabled device, plus a whole slew of Apple products. I dug my own grave by maxing her out on electronics and doodads and was left with few gift optionsthat is, until I noticed a product advertised as a mug warmer. I initially thought she could plug it into one of her many smart outlets and command her army of Amazon Echos to keep her drinks warm, so I bought it immediately. That was not, however, how she ended up using itwhat sits atop this drink warmer is a candle. She found the smartest way to make her home smell amazing, then passed the knowledge on to me. Now, I'm passing it on to you because this is a great hack. Candle warming is a super efficient way to make your entire home smell fantastic. My mom lives in a four-level house and says that when she sets a candle on her mug warmer, the smell permeates at least two levels away from wherever the device is. Simply lighting a candle doesn't yield the same result. Unlike traditionally lighting a candle, the warmer causes the wax to melt from the bottom up. It does take a while for the smell to hit, but once it does, the scent is unstoppable. For a smaller candle, around 14 ounces, the process takes about an hour and the smell grows in intensity the whole time. You can get designated candle warmers for about $30, but the smaller heaters designed for mugs can be as low as $9.99. The ones designed to heat candles, specifically, usually work by heating from the top down and are generally available in more decorative designs. I prefer the mug warmer primarily because it's cheaper, but also because it's more useful overall, even if it isn't as pretty on the shelf. First, as the candle heats from the bottom, the smell builds in intensity. If you want a less intense scent, you can stop the warmer, which gives you a little more control and customizability. Second, the candle warmers that heat from the top are designed specifically to do that, which is awesome, but you can't benefit from the dual-purpose glory the mug warmer offers. Remember, it's a mug warmer, so you can use it as one whenever you want. The fancier, more expensive, top-down warmers don't do much for your coffee, but the mug warmer can be used for its original purpose with ease. To me, it just makes more sense to get the cheaper device that does more around the house. The one I've purchased for my mom and myself is no longer available on Amazon, but it was similar to this: Mr. Coffee Mug Warmer $12.53 at Amazon $19.99 Save $7.46 Shop Now Shop Now $12.53 at Amazon $19.99 Save $7.46 What to keep in mind when heating candles on a mug warmerFirst of all, the surface here is pretty small, so you're not going to be doing this with big, three-wick candles. That would take too long, anyway. Second of all, once you do this to a candle, you won't be able to burn that one again. Once the whole thing liquifies, the wick can start, as my mom puts it, "floating around in there." When it hardens again after you turn the warmer off, there's no guarantee the wick will be sticking out and available for lighting in the future. Granted, once you try this fire-free option and see how much more intense the scent is, you may not want to bother lighting a candle again anyway. The best candle I've found for this is from Bath & Body Works and I assume the powerful smell comes from the brand's tendency to put essential oils in its product. The exterior doesn't get sweaty, the labels don't peel off, and there are really no safety issues or other problems beside the fact that you'll probably lose access to your wick. (I should note, however, that you shouldn't try to move the candle until after the wax has cooled and re-solidified. The glass will be warm to the touch and moving it too soon means risking spilling hot wax all over the place, which is not ideal.) I love this method because it is safer than traditional candle burning. I am a huge fan of candles and scents overall, but I don't really enjoy having open flames out and about in my home, so this takes away some anxiety while providing better service. Plugging the warmer into a smart outlet also means I can check an app to be sure it's not still on, even when I'm out, which is not possible with an open-flame candle. My mom has requested, however, that I let you know that safety features can also be a slight negative if you don't prepare correctly: "One thing to remember when choosing a candle is that these mug warmers are meant to go off when you lift a coffee mug off of them, so you need to make sure that the candle has a good flat base and some weight to it to keep the warmer on," says she, the expert. Finally, the wax doesn't really disappear the way it does with a normal candle. Rather, it loses potency. You can aim to heat yours 15 to 20 times, then, if it's losing scent power, consider swapping it out for a new one.